Let me first preface that I don't really do recipes. I think it's genetic. My paternal grandmother never used them, except for the occasional baking episode. And even though I never had the chance to cook with her, I'm pretty sure my maternal grandmother didn't either. My paternal grandmother taught my mother how to cook a number of Mexican dishes based on smell, taste, touch and texture. Same for myself. This particularly frustrates JR as he's asked for recipes so he'd could cook something while I was traveling. Sorry Love.
I often start with a recipe, when I see something that I like or have the idea of what I want to make. That becomes the launching pad to make in my own and then the initial recipe goes completely out the window. So here we are. I've made this for the past five Christmases, that Jeff and I have been together. Christmas risotto is a hybrid of two recipes and then further adapted to make it really special...truffle special.
The thing that makes this dish a little more special at Christmas, or anything else you might be celebrating, are the ingredients. If you’re making this during the week maybe you don’t add the truffle salt and oil or leave out the pancetta and you use a cheaper wine. And maybe you have ingredients that are more special to you than what I’ve made mine with. Go ahead and make it your own! I hope it’s given you some culinary inspiration. xo
Truffled Christmas Risotto
Total prep and cooking time 1 hour. Serves 4 hungry adults as a main course, or 8-10 as a first course/side dish
Ingredients:
1 large head of curly kale
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt
Ground pepper
1-pound pancetta or American bacon
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small sweet onion
2 cloves minced garlic
2 cups Arborio rice
1.5 cups white wine
8 cups of low sodium chicken broth, heated
Truffle salt or sea salt
Ground pepper
1.5 cups fine grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons truffle oil or butter
Crispy Kale
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse and de-rib the curly kale. Rip into smaller pieces, approximate 2-inch squares. Dry the kale well and place on a lipped baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and use your hands to make sure all of the kale is evenly coated. Add a more little oil, if needed. Make sure the kale is a nice even layer on the pan. It will look like a lot of kale, but it will cook down considerably in the oven. Salt and pepper. Place in oven. After 15 minutes remove and give the sheet a good shake so that nothing is sticking. You’ll notice that some pieces are starting to crisp and others are limp. Place back the oven. After 5 minutes take another look at the kale. Timing and a watchful eye are important here. By now all of the kale should be dark green and crispy, save for a few pieces that may be starting to brown. 20 minutes total is usually the sweet spot. Depending on your oven and the baking sheet you may need +/- a minute or two. When it looks perfect, remove from the oven to cool. Note: You can also make the kale ahead of time. It will keep in an airtight container for a few days. Just make sure it’s completely cooled before storing. I also like to add this salads and pasta dishes.
Into the oven...
And out of the oven
Pancetta/Bacon Bits
Cut the pancetta or bacon into small approximate quarter-inch pieces or strips. Place a couple sheets of paper towel, quarter folded on a small plate and set aside. Put all of the bacon in a large skillet over medium/medium-high heat. Evenly distribute and allow to sit over the heat until the bacon fat starts to cook off. Start stirring so nothing sticks to the skillet. Once there is a good amount of fat cooked off I tilt the skillet, so that all of the bacon and the cooked fat is on one end of the pan, keeping it over the heat and creating almost a mini deep fryer. This helps cook the bits quickly and evenly. Plus you won’t have deal with splatter burns. Keep stirring and cook until very well done, about 5 minutes. You want the bacon extra crispy, like bacon bits. If they are soft they will be really soggy in the risotto. Once crispy, not burned, turn off the heat. Keep the pan tilted and use a spoon to move the bacon bits out of the cooked fat and drain a bit. Spoon the bacon onto the paper towel. Allow the bacon to sit so the paper towel can absorb the excess fat. Dispose of the fat from the skillet. After the skillet has cooled a bit, wipe it down with paper towel. You don’t have to wash the pan since you’ll be cooking the risotto in this pan well. Note: The bacon can also be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container.
Efficiently cooking in its' own fat
Risotto
Grate Parmesan and set aside. Yes, I suppose you can buy grated Parm to save some time. We always have a block of it in our refrigerator though so I grate it. Plus, I like the take of freshly grated so much better. Note: there just is no substitute for REAL Parmesan (made in Parma) aged for two years. When you can find it, use it.
Begin warming the chicken stock. In the US I would normally buy in the container, but it’s impossible to find here so I use bouillon now. The important thing is to use LOW sodium broth because you’re going to salt risotto as you cook it. In a medium stockpot pour the liquid. I usually put it a mid-high heat to warm it quickly and then turn the heat to the lowest setting just to keep it warm while the rice cooks. Before you start toasting the rice make sure the broth is ready.
In the same pan you cooked the bacon, turn the heat up to medium/medium-high. Once the skillet is warm add enough olive oil to generously coat the bottom, about 2-3 tablespoons. Add onion and stir to coat with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes until they begin to soften. Add garlic and stir.
Toasting rice
Now it’s time to toast the rice. Add the rice to onion and garlic mixture, stir so the rice is coated with oil, evenly distribute in skillet and let it sit for about 30 seconds. Stir and let the rice sit again. Toasting is the key here, not burning. Stir, sit. Stir, sit. The rice will look like it’s browning but be sure to smell the rice. It has a distinct warm and earthiness once it’s toasting. Let is toast for maybe another minute or two. Add the wine. Another note: use a good DRY wine and something with a little more body. Sauvignon blanc is fine, but I prefer white burgundy or chardonnay.
Let the wine/alcohol cook out completely. You’ll definitely smell the wine once the liquid is gone and it will be ever so slight in the flavor once it’s done. Now you can start adding the chicken stock, about a cup, and stir. With a light hand, add salt and pepper to season. Continue to stir. Let the chicken stock cook down. Add another cup of broth. Stir. Lightly add more salt and pepper. Continue this process two more times. You should have gone through around 4 cups of broth. Give the rice a taste. It will still be pretty firm, but you’ll be able to tell if you’re adding the right about of salt. If you’re over salting, that’s okay. The additional broth that’s still needed to cook the rice will dilute any excess salt. Remember, the Parmesan to be added at the end will also add a bit of salt to the risotto. Keep adding broth, one cup at a time, stirring and seasoning as needed.
By now, from all the stirring, the starch from the rice and the broth is blending to create a creamy sauce for the rice. Once the rice is cooked you’ll know because it should be a little al dente, meaning you’ll feel the slightest resistance when you bit into it. Once the rice is al dente, and the risotto is a nice creamy consistency, turn the heat to LOW. Remember that the rice will continue to cook a bit in the pan. At this point I usually have about 2 cups of the broth left. Leave it for a moment.
Risotto with Parm and truffle oil
Add the Parmesan, saving a bit for garnish, and stir so that it’s completely incorporated. Add about a tablespoon or more of truffle oil (or butter). The truffle oil will add more truffle flavor, plus it gives the risotto a nice sheen (same for the butter). Carefully fold in the crispy kale and the bacon bits. You’ll notice that there isn’t much sauce now, from adding all of that lovely accoutrement. Now add some of the remaining chicken broth, getting back the creamy sauce consistency and it’s ready to serve.
This also makes for great leftovers. Just add some some broth or water as the risotto will dry out a bit after it's been refrigerated.